Fun Gorgosaurus Facts For Kids

The Gorgosaurus or 'fierce lizard' was a dinosaur of the late cretaceous North America that suggests that this dinosaur was just as terrible and fierce as its name suggests!

An animal of considerably less weight and size in comparison to the larger carnivorous dinosaur genera known to us, the fossil remains of the Gorgosaurus suggests that they were no less when it came to predation.

These apex predators not only sat at the top of the food chain and fed on many ceratops and hadrosaurs of the region, but also made sure to spend some time in the company of related genera such as Daspletosaurus and Albertosaurus!

For more related content, make sure to check out Xixianykus and Tratayenia.

Gorgosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Gorgosaurus'?

The name of this animal is pronounced as "gor-go-sore-us".

What type of dinosaur was a Gorgosaurus?

The Gorgosaurus was a genus of theropod dinosaurs, from the family Tyrannosaurids. It was closely related to other Tyrannosaurids such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Albertosaurus, and Daspletosaurus.

In which geological period did the Gorgosaurus roam the earth?

The geological period during which these Tyrannosaurid dinosaurs are estimated to have roamed earth is the late Cretaceous period.

If you happen to be wondering exactly how long ago the species Gorgosaurus libratus (Lambe) would have existed on the face of the earth, you will be astonished to know that these dinosaurs existed no less than 76 million years ago!

When did the Gorgosaurus become extinct?

While it is yet to be known as to when the theropod species of Gorgosaurus libratus (Lambe) was wiped off the face of the earth, we do know that the Cretaceous era came to an end around 66 million years ago.

This gives us a rough timeline as to when these dinosaurs would have become extinct if they had managed to survive until the geological period.

Where did a Gorgosaurus live?

The habitat of the Gorgosaurus dinosaur is estimated to have consisted of woodlands and forests since their areas would have the most amount of herbivores to prey on!

What was a Gorgosaurus' habitat?

Like the other related Tyrannosaurids, Gorgosaurus fossils have been discovered in parts of present-day North America. Specifically, the part of the world which has been the site of most amount of Gorgosaurus skeleton fossils is Alberta.

Some speculated fossils have also been found in Montana. Specimens of the most well-known and only species, G. libratus, have also led to the discovery of the paleoecology of this period.

Who did a Gorgosaurus live with?

This tyrannosaur species is known to have lived in the company of other Tyrannosaurid animals such as Daspletosaurus. This not only tells us a lot about the growth and diet of these beautiful animals but also tells paleontologists about the predatory activities that G. libratus may have indulged in.

How long did a Gorgosaurus live?

Not only have paleontologists been unable to describe the lifespan of an average Gorgosaurus, but it is also yet to be known as to how long these animals from present-day Canada spent on the surface on earth.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs from all around the world are known to have practiced oviparous reproduction. That is to say that the Gorgosaurus juvenile would hatch out of the egg.

Whether the juvenile would then be taken care of by the adults, or if it would be born in a nest peculiar to the lizard is unknown. We are also yet to know if these relatives of Albertosaurus had any courting habits that would be of interest to scientists and dinosaur-enthusiasts alike!

Gorgosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Gorgosaurus look like?

Some of the most interesting characteristics of these dinosaurs are revealed through the Gorgosaurus skull. The almost complete skull shows sharp teeth that classify the genus as Tyrannosauridae.

These animals had forelimbs that ended in two fingers. The forelimbs, compared to Gorgosaurus vs T Rex, would leave hardly any points of a difference except for the number of fingers that each of these animals had.

The fossil remains also describe the range of the length and weight of the Gorgosaurus to be quite small in comparison with other dinosaurs of the family tree. The fierce lizard, like all other theropod Tyrannosaurids, is described to have had strong feet, which they used continuously.

The feet were furthermore of utmost importance since the forelimbs were so tiny!

How many bones did a Gorgosaurus have?

The total number of bones that this Tyrannosaurid dinosaur had is unclear simply because although the entire skeleton of the dinosaur species has been found, the discovery of complete and undamaged bones was hardly the case. The estimation of the number of bones that this tyrannosaur had would thus be inaccurate.

How did they communicate?

Dinosaurs are known to have communicated through harsh, loud calls, and there is hardly any reason that would suggest that this theropod would be an exception to the thumb rule.

Additionally, since the Gorgosaurus was related to animals such as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Albertosaurus, which are known for their extremely loud and terrifying call, it is expected that the "fierce lizard", too, would have had a sound that was befitting to the Greek name!

How big was a Gorgosaurus?

The Gorgosaurus is described as a rather small theropod Tyrannosaurid dinosaur. The average length of adults of this dinosaur genus is estimated to have been around 26-30 ft (8-9 m) from snout to tail. The skull to feet height of the adults is however yet to be estimated.

How fast could a Gorgosaurus move?

The average speed at which these animals could move is yet to be known. However, since Gorgosaurus was much smaller in size and weight that a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it is estimated that they would have been much faster on their legs in comparison with the latter.

How much did a Gorgosaurus weigh?

The average Gorgosaurus is estimated to have weighed around 2.8-3.2 sh tn (2.5-2.9 t). The growth of these dinosaurs is estimated to have been such that they gained a couple of hundred pounds every year!

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no distinct names for the two sexes of the Gorgosaurus, we have resorted to referring to them as the male Gorgosaurus and the female Gorgosaurus.

What would you call a baby Gorgosaurus?

A juvenile Gorgosaurus would be called a hatchling simply because these animals oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs. The growth of the hatchlings have also been estimated, since this genus is the best known from the family of Tyrannosaurids.

What did they eat?

The fossil remains of Tyrannosaurids such as Albertosaurus, and Daspletosaurus suggest that these animals were carnivorous. Gorgosaurus is estimated to have had razor-sharp teeth, which were efficiently used for tearing through the flesh of other dinosaurs such as ornithopods and hadrosaurs.

How aggressive were they?

The Gorgosaurus size and diet, in addition to the literal translation of its Greek name are all suggestive of the fact that these animals were very aggressive.

Did you know...

A member of the family of Tyrannosaurids, Gorgosaurus was initially described as an Albertosaurus due to the drastically similar features of the two genera.

Gorgosaurus was incorrectly called Nanuqsaurus in the Walking with Dinosaurs, but they are two seperate species.

Who discovered Gorgosaurus?

The holotype specimens of the species were discovered by Charles M. Sternberg, however, these animals were named by Lambe.

What serious injury did Gorgosaurus survive?

The serious injuries revealed by the fossil remains of the Gorgosaurus include face bites and fractured legs!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Kelmayisaurus fun facts, or Utahraptor facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Gorgosaurus coloring pages.